I've driven past Gary's Gun Shop on 41st more times than I can count — that low brick building just west of Minnesota Avenue, tucked between auto shops and medical offices, the kind of place you'd miss if you weren't looking. But inside, it's a different world entirely.
Gary's has been here since 1967, which in Sioux Falls terms means it predates the subdivisions sprawling toward Tea and Hartford, predates the whole western expansion that turned farmland into strip malls. The guy behind the counter last time I visited knew more about firearms than I'll ever forget — patient, specific, never condescending. I watched him walk a first-time buyer through the entire process, explaining every form, every consideration, every safety protocol like it actually mattered. Because it does.
The selection runs deep. Handguns, rifles, shotguns — hunting season prep sees half of Minnehaha County cycling through, grabbing ammo and licenses before heading out to the fields. But it's not just the hardware. They do gunsmithing on-site, transfers, classes. The kind of place where knowledge gets passed down properly, where nobody's rushing you toward a sale.
The parking lot's small, and during busy weekends you might circle twice before finding a spot. The interior isn't what you'd call modern — fluorescent lights, utilitarian displays, zero pretense. But that's part of what makes it work. This isn't a showroom. It's a shop run by people who know their craft and respect yours.
I've heard some folks wish they had longer hours, especially during hunting season when demand spikes. Fair enough. But for nearly sixty years, Gary's has held steady on West 41st — not chasing trends, not expanding into some glossy big-box operation. Just doing one thing, doing it right, and trusting that Sioux Falls will keep showing up.
Most of the time, we do.
— Grace
The guy behind the counter last time I visited knew more about firearms than I'll ever forget — patient, specific, never condescending.